Confession: My Dimes

A dime is a small thing. It's the smallest of our coins, worth only ten cents. It's tiny, insignificant, and meaningless, really. But, if you pick up a dime and you hold it out to the horizon, it will cover the sun. The sun is a great big thing, and yet we can lose that perspective, and begin to think that the dime is the bigger object because the sun is hidden.

"For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the LORD and there is no other, apart from me there is no God." Isaiah 45:4-5a

He said He is the LORD and there is no other. No idols. No dimes. An idol, like a dime, is a small thing, but sometimes I pick it up and place it up in front of God, and it blocks Him out and begins to take God's place in my life.

There are a lot of dimes on my horizon right now. They're blocking the Son, and they're skewing my perspective.

Dime #1: Internet. Access to the wonderful world of cyber space is a fabulous thing. For months, we didn't have internet at the apartment. I became accustom to never checking my email, or facebook, or the weather. I never used mapquest. I couldn't just "google it." Instead, I spent a lot of time with God. The online world didn't steal my time or my focus. I focused on Jesus. But we have access to the internet now, and I've become accustom to checking my email and my facebook twice daily. But I don't open the Word twice a day to spend time in the Truth. In fact, I haven't had serious God time in over two weeks. Sure, I've spent time with God in the last two weeks, but I've given Him my hurried, leftover time. I've flipped through the Bible to a favorite passage instead of really diving in, searching for something new to stand out and capture my heart.

Dime #2: Friends. Relationships are important, for sure. Jesus wants me to love people, yes. But for me, sometimes friends and people and relationships get in the way of my seeking God. I say I want to love them with Jesus' love, and overflow with who He is as we meet for coffee, or chat on the couch, but how can I love them like Jesus when I haven't spent time at His feet soaking up His great love? I end up pouring out all of my love, which doesn't go very far, and then walking away feeling drained and empty. Friends and people are such a good thing, but I need to be careful that they don't get top priority before Jesus.

Dime #3: Sickness. I've had couple of physical ailments and struggles in the last months. It might sound stupid, but it so often seems bigger than it really should be. I come to the end of a long, tiring, painful day, and I don't think I have the energy to give to God. Sleep takes priority. And there it is, I've held out my dime, made my physical wellness (or lack thereof) more important, and I've shut out the Son.

Dime #4: Busyness. My schedule is crazy. Anyone who has tried to spend time with me knows they need to book their block of time at least two weeks in advance! I run and run and run. Then I end up either running out of energy, or running out of time to give to God. He gets the leftover, and my second-best (or worse).

While bits and pieces of my dimes are good things, I have to be careful that they don't get blown out of proportion. I have to be careful that they don't become the things I treasure the most. I want God to have that spot.